Using Shellfish Aquaculture to Improve Water Quality in Long Island Sound and Great Bay Estuaries

On Nov. 18, staff from NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science and Northeast Fisheries Laboratory met with outside partners to continue investigating the potential importance of shellfish aquaculture in removing nutrients and improving water quality in the Long Island Sound and Great Bay/Piscataqua River Estuaries. The results of this EPA Regional Ecosystem Services Program–funded study will be used to determine whether shellfish aquaculture can and should be expanded in the two water bodies and to reevaluate the Long Island Sound Total Maximum Daily Load Program. NOAA’s partners on the project include the Long Island Sound Study; the University of New Hampshire; HydroQual, Inc.; Northern Economics, Ltd.; and EPA staff from the Narragansett, R.I. EPA Laboratory working from the offices of the Long Island Sound Study in Stamford, Conn.